What’s in the Stockroom?
To celebrate 10 years since we started our ‘What’s in the Stockroom?’ newsletter, each week we wander through one of the region’s premiere stockrooms to find out what treasures lay inside.
NandaHobbs
This week we visit Sydney’s Nanda\Hobbs, with gallery director Ralph Hobbs.
Caroline Zilinksy, Us and Them (Or Antisocial Dog), 2020. Oil on linen, 112 x 97cm.
“We have just taken on Caroline. She is the most enigmatic of artists—observant, direct and unfiltered,” says Hobbs.
“Her commentary on society is profound and her drawn/painted line is direct and meticulous. I really enjoy this painting—it’s an enigmatic interplay between the seated figure, deeply patterned carpet, and the disinterested dog.”
Jun Chen, Noon, 2019. Oil on canvas, framed 136 x 160cm.
“I maintain that Jun is one of the most articulate of painters in the genre. There is a fluidity in the swathes of paint that he applies—from the literal to the abstract. He starts every day with Chinese calligraphic poetry to get his eye and hand in. His work ultimately feels to me like a woven tapestry in oil paint.”
Brett Whiteley, Towards Sculpture 6, 1977. Lithograph, Edition 5/50, framed 115.5 x 87.5cm.
“This work is from Whiteley’s legendary Towards Sculpture suite—one of the most collectable of his print/graphic works. It demonstrates his extraordinary economy of line and understanding of the human figure, without the constraints of being too literal. It is 43 years old and still super cool.”
Blak Douglas, #Assimilate, 2018. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 150 x 180.5cm.
“Another new artist to our gallery—I have admired his work for years. Blak is front and centre making a positive change to the way to perceive all people in our society.”
“His bold, graphic works speak of this country, and our shared history. Without a true understanding of what has been before—we cannot hope to make a better future.”